WWE kicked off 2026 in dramatic fashion as the month of January isn’t even over yet and we already have a new Undisputed WWE Champion in the form of Drew McIntyre. “The Scottish Psychopath” defeated Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match (with a little help from Jacob Fatu) on the January 10 episode of “WWE Smackdown” to capture his fourth world title in WWE, and the first of his career where he could genuinely celebrate in front of a live audience without the threat of anyone cashing in their Money in the Bank briefcase.
Since that night, a whole host of challengers have stepped up and vowed to be the one that dethrones McIntyre, and at the time of writing, four men are set to duke it out for the chance to challenge McIntyre at the Royal Rumble on January 31. Those four men are Damian Priest, Randy Orton, Sami Zayn, and Trick Williams, and they will take each other on in a Fatal Four Way match at the Saturday Night’s Main Event show on January 24 to determine the number one contender. Once you add the likes of Fatu and Rhodes into the mix, it’s very likely that McIntyre’s reign as champion could be short-lived as there is no way that he can get through all of those names.
With all that said, and with so many names to choose from, allow us to put on our booking hats for just a brief moment and break down the Undisputed WWE Championship scene. Who do we think will beat McIntyre to become the new champion? Who do we think should beat McIntyre to become the new champion? Will “The Scottish Psychopath” even make it to the start of February, let alone WrestleMania 42, with the gold around his waist? Let’s break it down.
Cody Rhodes or Randy Orton
To try and figure out who will be the one to dethrone Drew McIntyre to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion, whenever that may be, you have to look at one simple thing; McIntyre is a heel. Naturally, you would want a valiant babyface to overcome and upset the odds to slay the villain and walk away with the victory, and right now the man who wants to take “The Scottish Psychopath’s” sword and use it for himself is “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes.
If it wasn’t for Jacob Fatu, he’d likely still be champion right now and he wouldn’t have needed to declare himself for the Royal Rumble match on January 31. Rhodes has the biggest gripe with McIntyre as he didn’t necessarily lose the title fair and square, and he naturally would want a rematch. When that rematch happens remains to be seen, but given how Rhodes lost the title in the first place, there is every chance he matches Stone Cold Steve Austin’s record of three Royal Rumble victories, moves on to WrestleMania 42, and wins himself another Undisputed WWE Championship. After all, he is still the top active babyface in the company, and even though some crowds are beginning to voice their displeasure at him, he’s still the man in WWE.
However, Rhodes has been on top of the mountain for close to two years now, and in the age of social media people have shorter attention spans than ever. Two years feels like a lifetime because so much happens in wrestling these days, so going with a different option might be the best choice. Enter Randy Orton. “The Viper” having another reign as the Undisputed WWE Champion has almost felt like a “when” situation rather than an “if,” and with the long history that Rhodes and Orton have together as part of Legacy, combined with the fact that Orton might have an eye on John Cena’s record of 17 WWE Championships, there’s every chance that WWE go with Orton at the expense of Rhodes and their friendship.
There is going to be an Undisputed WWE Championship match between Rhodes and Orton in 2026, you can feel it, it’s just the question of who walks into that match as the champion. In the end, for the sake of having a big babyface moment that could lead elsewhere, I’m leaning towards to Rhodes being the right call and having Orton take it from him. With that said, do not be surprised if it’s the other way around.
Sami Zayn
To be perfectly honest, Sami Zayn deserves to have both the should and will sections dedicated to him because it almost feels too perfect of a situation not to have him end the month of January as the Undisputed WWE Champion. However, the company has proven time and time again that it has a real talent for missing the boat on this sort of thing, which is why Zayn lands himself in this section as the man who should dethrone McIntyre, rather than being the man who most likely will.
Saturday Night’s Main Event takes place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on January 24, and the Royal Rumble takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 31. That’s it. That’s the reason. You can’t get two major events back-to-back that fit a feel good win for one of the most beloved babyfaces in the entire company than that even if you tried. Zayn earns the shot at McIntyre in his hometown, before moving on to Saudi Arabia to become the first Muslim WWE Champion since The Iron Sheik. It’s literally the perfect lay-up that the higher-ups in WWE would be foolish not to slam dunk into the basket for one of the biggest feel good moments of the past few years.
Taking Zayn’s religion out of things, he really is one of the last great in-ring talents to have never held a world championship in WWE. Even before he got to WWE, Zayn was always touted as someone who would be able to break through and reach that main event scene despite not being as large or chiselled as what the regular WWE fan would want. He can always be relied on to be excellent in the ring, just look at his most recent run with the WWE United States Championship, every defense he had was not only must-see, but ended up being the highlight of “WWE SmackDown.”
Obviously, WWE could hold off and wait for an event like WrestleMania 43 (also in Saudi Arabia) to have Zayn win the title, but wrestling is all about striking while the iron is hot and Zayn is hot right now. He’s a guy that has been deserving of this sort of a spot for so long, has done so much in his WWE career (The Bloodline saga wouldn’t have been as big as it was without him), and in all honesty, what have WWE got to lose? Nothing. Give Zayn the belt at the Royal Rumble because at the end of the day, it’s the right thing to do.
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